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Three-quarters of an hour later, Sengstack called on him for the second time that day--Abner
Sengstack, small, dark-faced, club-footed, a great sole of leather three inches thick under his
short, withered right leg, his slightly Slavic, highly intelligent countenance burning with a pair of
keen, piercing, inscrutable black eyes. Sengstack was a fit secretary for Mollenhauer. You could
see at one glance that he would make Stener do exactly what Mollenhauer suggested. His
business was to induce Stener to part with his street-railway holdings at once through Tighe &
Co., Butler's brokers, to the political sub-agent who would eventually transfer them to
Mollenhauer. What little Stener received for them might well go into the treasury. Tighe & Co.
would manage the "'change" subtleties of this without giving any one else a chance to bid, while
at the same time making it appear an open-market transaction. At the same time Sengstack
went carefully into the state of the treasurer's office for his master's benefit--finding out what it
was that Strobik, Wycroft, and Harmon had been doing with their loans. Via another source they
were ordered to disgorge at once or face prosecution. They were a part of Mollenhauer's
political machine. Then, having cautioned Stener not to set over the remainder of his property to
any one, and not to listen to any one, most of all to the Machiavellian counsel of Cowperwood,
Sengstack left.
Needless to say, Mollenhauer was greatly gratified by this turn of affairs. Cowperwood was now
most likely in a position where he would have to come and see him, or if not, a good share of
the properties he controlled were already in Mollenhauer's possession. If by some hook or crook
he could secure the remainder, Simpson and Butler might well talk to him about this street-
railway business. His holdings were now as large as any, if not quite the largest.
Chapter XXVIII
It was in the face of this very altered situation that Cowperwood arrived at Stener's office late
this Monday afternoon.
Stener was quite alone, worried and distraught. He was anxious to see Cowperwood, and at the
same time afraid.
"George," began Cowperwood, briskly, on seeing him, "I haven't much time to spare now, but
I've come, finally, to tell you that you'll have to let me have three hundred thousand more if you
don't want me to fail. Things are looking very bad today. They've caught me in a corner on my
loans; but this storm isn't going to last. You can see by the very character of it that it can't."
He was looking at Stener's face, and seeing fear and a pained and yet very definite necessity
for opposition written there. "Chicago is burning, but it will be built up again. Business will be all
the better for it later on. Now, I want you to be reasonable and help me. Don't get frightened."
Stener stirred uneasily. "Don't let these politicians scare you to death. It will all blow over in a
few days, and then we'll be better off than ever. Did you see Mollenhauer?"
"Yes."
"Well, what did he have to say?"
"He said just what I thought he'd say. He won't let me do this. I can't, Frank, I tell you!"
exclaimed Stener, jumping up. He was so nervous that he had had a hard time keeping his seat
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